Industry News

New manufacturer Pilot Replicas hits production delays

This is pre-production kit box design comes from the new plastic model manufacturer Pilot Replicas.

Photo by Pilot-Replicas.com

Although Pilot Replicas is not yet ready to manufacture its kits, it has several kit designs ready for production.

Photo by Pilot-Replicas.com

Despite setbacks with its original subcontractor, Pilot Replicas, a new replicas model manufacturer, still hopes to produce its kits in the U.S., said Pilot Replicas’ Claes Wahlund.

“Our goal from the beginning was to have everything produced here,” he said. “Everything from design to production and casting.”

Pilot Replicas, based in Coral Springs, Fla., specializes in 1:48-scale plastic model replica kits of military aircraft, Wahlund said. The company was founded about two years ago. A production launch was expected before this past Christmas, but the subcontractor hired by Pilot Replicas “didn’t deliver,” he said.

The company has come to realize the difficulties of producing plastic models in the U.S., Wahlund said, whether that be because of a lack of knowledge or the increased cost of production. But Pilot Replicas is still working to keep production of its kits in the U.S., he said.

Wahlund wouldn’t give an expected timeline, but he said Pilot has several kit designs already lined up and ready for production. “As long as you don’t have any company that can produce the molds and cast them then you’re kind of handicapped,” he said.

Check back with Model Retailer for updates on Pilot Replica’s production schedule.